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| Top 10 Lists: The Best War Movies |
| 2004-12-15 |
| Which is the best war movie ever released? That will stir always up heated debate. But before the arguing begins, one must ask what makes a good war movie? The first thing is getting the basic things right. These basics involve respect for the soldiers portrayed, and for the right tone (war isn't to be celebrated, but it shouldn't be flinched from either). Second, does it tell the basic story right? Then, one can go into more subjective areas. For instance, is the story one that has been told multiple times before (like D-Day), or does it focus on an area that has been ignored (say, codebreaking in the Pacific theater)? Does it get preachy, or does it focus on telling the story? Does it get little details right (say everything looks like it should for the timeframe), or does it mess things up? Does something from the film stick with the viewer? Below are ten war movies that make the grade, in no particular order. The Gallant Hours (1960): This is a film that does well in several areas: It tells a largely ignored story (the Guadalcanal campaign), it does so from a unique angle (there are no battles, instead, it focuses more on the burdens of command), and it tells the story of William F. Halsey. The story is generally right (the only real discrepancy is fast-forwarding the takedown of Yamamoto to about the time of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal). The scene between a fictional Roy Webb and Halsey says everything about commanding forces in battle. Gettysburg (1993): The model for any war film. Accuracy was a premium (thanks to the assistance of thousands of re-enactors). Both sides are portrayed with respect, and this film boasts one of the more memorable lines in this author's opinion ("There are times when a corps commander's life does not count.") No love story clutters it up (unlike Gods and Generals). When I go to see a war movie, I don't like having the story of the battle interrupted by mush. Black Hawk Down (2002): This is almost up there with Gettysburg in what a war movie should be. A real bonus here is Black Hawk Down pulled no punches in showing the Battle of Mogadishu. Again, the film had a scene that stuck out (Shughart and Gordon volunteering to rescue Durant). Midway (1976): This film is uneven. It gets points for telling a widely-ignored story (the codebreakers, led by Joe Rochefort) and for getting things mostly right (while there were some Corsairs and Helldivers that showed up in place of SBD Dauntlesses, it was outweighed in getting the basic elements of Midway correct). Bonus points for the accurate portrayals of Spruance (the calm, unflappable CO of Task Force 16) and Fletcher (the CO of Task Force 17 who was arguably in over his head). The preachiness about the internment of Japanese-American citizens cancels out the bonus points, though. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970): The best portrayal of the attack on Pearl Harbor in cinema today. No love story to clutter things up, no expanded coverage. Just the facts about the events leading up to and on the Day of Infamy. Had Pearl Harbor (2001) simply been a remake of this film, the special effects would have placed it in the company of Black Hawk Down and Gettysburg. Operation Pacific (1951): Another one of the ignored stories is that of the American submariners in the Pacific. John Wayne stars as XO (and later CO) of a fictional submarine, the USS Thunderfish. The basic story is correct — showing not only the wide variety of operations (evacuation of non-combatants from occupied islands to lifeguard duty to putting Japanese ships on the bottom), but also the many torpedo problems. It helped that Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood was technical advisor. DC 9/11 (2003): This film is probably the Tora! Tora! Tora! of the war on terror. This is a "just the facts" film that relied heavily on interviews with many of those involved. The research is impeccable, and it would have been a runaway blockbuster had it been released in theaters. If anyone wants to know why we fight, that film is a good place to start. We Were Soldiers (2002): Mel Gibson broke the mold by doing a Vietnam War film that "got it right". Based on the book by Lieutenant General Hal Moore, this film is what should have been done all along for the men who fought in Vietnam. No punches are pulled, and it also covered the home front. Nothing in particular stick out about the film — but that is because it is so superb from start to finish. Windtalkers (2002): This film again focuses on the oft-neglected story of codes in the Pacific War. Here, it is the Navajo codetalkers. While the characters are fictional, the film still shines — if only due to the neglected story that finally gets the attention it deserves. Japan's failure to protect its codes came back to bite them in the rear. The briefing given to Sergeant Joe Enders about his mission ("You are to protect the CODE.") stands in stark contrast. Sink the Bismarck (1960): One of the greatest wartime naval chases is here. While the characters of Captain Shepard and Anne Davis are fictional, the basic story is accurate. This is a film crying out for James Cameron to do a remake of — and hopefully, he will just do a straight remake and not repeat the mistake Jerry Bruckheimer made with Pearl Harbor by adding a gratuitous love-triangle sub-plot. Honorable Mention: The Longest Day (1962), Patton (1975), In Harm's Way (1965), Flight of the Intruder (1991), BAT 21 (1988), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Back to Bataan (1945), Go For Broke! (1951), The Desert Rats (1953), Master and Commander (2003). Also: Zulu!, The Enemy Below, Das Boot, Band of Brothers (HBO), Light Horsemen. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #55 Das Boot should have been there in place of Bismarck. And Saving Private Ryan should have been in there in the top ten too, well ahead of Windtalkers - the first scene is as close to real combat sights and sounds of a stand-up firefight that you will ever see on the screen. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-12-15 10:56:28 PM |
| #54 Das Boot should have been there in place of Bismarck. And Saving Private Ryan should have been in there in the top ten too, well ahead of Windtalkers - the first scene is as close to real combat sights and sounds of a stand-up firefight that you will ever see on the screen. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-12-15 10:56:28 PM |
| #53 Away All Boats, Dawn Patrol (even with a very young Paul Newman's lame acting), The Sand Pebbles. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-12-16 12:02:58 AM |
| #52 Let's see. WW1: Paths of Glory (proving the French have always been assholes). WW2: Battleground, Saving Private Ryan, Attack (Jack Palance, Eddie Albert, Lee Marvin. Rare, but if you see it listed, watch it.) The Story of G.I. Joe, To Hell and Back. Run Silent,Run Deep. Lot's more I can't think of right now. Band of Brothers was outstanding. Korea: Pork Chop Hill, MASH. Vietnam: Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill. Platoon, if you ignore Ollie's agenda. Others: Blackhawk Down. I'll remember about a hundred more after I hit the button. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-12-15 11:26:11 PM |
| #51 The Cruel Sea A story of the Battle of the Atlantic, C 1953, based upon a novel by Nicolas Montserrat. Some mush, but great story about men and the sea in wartime. Great line: something like this: "You learned how to strain your eyes in the fog at night, how to endure incredible fatigue, and how to die without wasting other people's time." |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-12-15 11:26:08 PM |
| #50 They Were Expendable, directed by John Ford, starring Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, and Donna Reed. Now, we don't really know how effective the PT boats really were, but it's a great movie. Run Silent, Run Deep, directed by Robert Wise, with Clark Gable and Bert Lancaster. Has any sub film made after this not stolen its plot? The Man Who Would be King and Gunga Din. Do you like Kipling? Henry V. Sir Larry, not Kenneth Branagh. Gallipoli. Why do you think Mel Gibson dislikes the British? Ran, directed by Kurosawa. Wings, winner of the first Oscar for Best Picture. Let's add non-battle films, such as The Americanization of Emily, Stalag 17, and Von Ryan's Express. If you have kids around, pair The Great Escape with Chicken Run. :-) And, finally, The Best Years of Our Lives and Casablanca. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2004-12-15 11:21:18 PM |
| #49 Das Boot should have been there in place of Bismarck. And Saving Private Ryan should have been in there in the top ten too, well ahead of Windtalkers - the first scene is as close to real combat sights and sounds of a stand-up firefight that you will ever see on the screen. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-12-15 10:56:28 PM |
| #48 I would include a forgotten but excellent Vietnam movie, Jump into Hell, about French paras at Dien Bien Phu. The recent History Channel production Ike was in much the same vein as The Gallant Hours (though very different in style),with Tom Selleck doing a remarkable job in the title role. Another TV production, TNT's Roughriders, also deserves mention. It made a hash of history in some respects: German advisors fighting at San Juan Hill is a multiply debunked WW1 conspiracy theory and Sam Elliott's portrayal of Bucky O'Neill is laughable for anyone who knows anything about the real O'Neill. OTOH, the accuracy of the visuals; uniforms, weapons, equipment and sets; is remarkable. John Milius directed so the weapons in particular would have to be accurate. Tom Berenger's portrayal of Teddy Roosevelt was trashed by some ignorant critics, but astonishingly convincing for anyone who knows about the real TR. It was probably as good as Martin Landau's Oscar-winning and near-legendary portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood. The montage of the Roughriders traveling across the country by train perfectly captures the patriotic fervor of the time, and the full vocal rendition of "Garryowen" is a great rarity. A much ignored aspect of the Spanish-American War, its role in the final reconciliation of North and South, gets quite a bit of play. Gary Busey was a lot of fun as ex-Confederate General Joe Wheeler, though not much like the real Wheeler. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2004-12-15 10:26:39 PM |
| #47 Angie >In In Harm's Way Peter Lawford plays a Congressman who resigns to enlist in the Navy. He figures it'll do his career good when the war's over, though naturally he doesn't intend to do any fighting, but instead spend the war as an admiral's PR flack. His plans get changed when the admiral sends him forward to spy on John Wayne.< It was Patrick Neal not Peter Lawford. But still a great movie. Dave |
| Posted by: davemac 2004-12-15 9:35:38 PM |
| #46 I'd throw in the Halls of Montezuma with Richard Widmark- compare his character to Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan. Good to see the mention of Gallant Hours and The Longest Day. For me the Longest Day has always been the war movie. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-12-15 8:26:58 PM |
| #45 Zhang Fei, the book shorttimers (which the movie was based on) has two seperate sniper scenes. One in Hue where the tank blasts building after building trying to get the sniper while infantry are crawling in and around trying to smoke him out before the tank blows them up; and a second in the jungle (where Joker has to shoot his friend Cowboy who is wounded to stop the marines going in one after another trying to save him and getting shot up). The movie merged the two scenes which probably led to your confusion. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2004-12-15 6:46:06 PM |
| #44 lets not forget Macarthur - kinda slow but accruate and U-571 |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-12-15 6:12:26 PM |
| #43 lets not forget Macarthur - kinda slow but accruate and U-571 |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-12-15 6:11:27 PM |
| #42 Gotta love Kelly's Heros. "Burning bridges lost forever more." Find my self humming it at the oddest times. |
| Posted by: Weird Al 2004-12-15 6:06:54 PM |
| #41 LotR - I didn't see BW, but since the style of 84CMP was so distinctive - I follow your drift. Sorry it ruined BW for you, however, lol! The stumbling across / overrun of the Japanese camp in The Thin Red Line really hit home with a couple of scenes. The chaotic firefight where two forces become mixed and everyone is shooting in every direction - or trying to suddenly get flatter than a water buffalo patty, heh, is classic reality. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-15 5:59:36 PM |
| #40 Does Ron Artest's and Steve Smith's battle with Detroit basketball fans count? |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-12-15 5:49:45 PM |
| #39 "Kelly's Heroes!" __ "Arf Arf! That's my other dog imitation..." |
| Posted by: borgboy 2004-12-15 5:17:15 PM |
| #38 JFM: Title you're searching for: "Halls of Montezuma" Dar's mention of Stalingrad is excellent. Great film. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-12-15 4:21:31 PM |
| #37 "Battle of Britain" There is a very academic love story who nearly spoils the movie but there are many scenes with Spittfires and it is about those so few we own so much so watching it is a patriotic duty for any Rantburger except TGA "The longest day" Still more impressive after visiting Omaha Beach. They landed at low tide and the beach is a very flat one, meaning they had no cover for hundreds of yards and there are steep hills at about one or two hundred yards of the beach. Nearly impossible to climb for an unencumbered man. Only one narrow breach in the hill range to leave the beach. A perfect deathtrap. You should watch the movie just before the visit, rewatch it just after and think. "The Big Red One" by Samuel Fuller. It has the flavor of a movie made by someone who had a been real soldier. "Pork Chop Hill" "Saving Private Ryan" "We were soldiers" "Objective Burma" of Raoul Walsh. There is French movie, I think it is by Truffaut, where two friends, about 18 to twenty years old, discuss about movies: "Have you seen the last Antonioni movie" "That is the cinema of impotent (he uses the french word about erectile problems) pretention, Raoul Walsh that is the real greatness" And he leads his friend to a projection of Obejective Burma. A movie honoring Marines in Okinawa or was it at Iwo Jima where they have to disamentle a rocket base. Dodn't remember the title. "Alexander Nevski" Greatest propaganda movie in history "Mash". In order to enlighten the atmosphere. It made me a football fan. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-12-15 3:44:00 PM |
| #36 Cross of Iron...very good Deacon. Midway is a so-so on the list. The story is important but as a movie, it wasn't all that good. Bad acting and too much footage lifted from Tora Tora Tora...which I think is the best of the bunch. What about Gallipoli? |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-12-15 3:29:10 PM |
| #35 rjschwarz: Mathew Modine's narration was limp but seeing the battle of Hue was amazing. The gunbattle with the sniper made little sense to me. I've read that the traditional approach in these situations (still used today) is to knock down suspect buildings down with artillery. But the movie itself was wonderful, even if much of it was filmed in the UK. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-12-15 3:24:21 PM |
| #34 .com - When I saw Blair Witch Project for the first time I knew nothing about it (especially the filming method). 30 seconds into it I knew exactly how it was going to end because the only other movie I'd seen filmed like that was 84 CharlieMoPic. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-12-15 3:24:17 PM |
| #33 I'd also throw in (as an honorable mention) the 4th Season of BlackAdder - Blackadder Goes Forth which took place during WW1 and had a pretty powerful final scene. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2004-12-15 3:05:53 PM |
| #32 #26 Hey, guys -- what about "All Quiet on the Western Front?" Posted by: Infidel Bob 2004-12-15 1:57:21 PM Yup , that has to be by far and away the best war movie ever , even though its anti war hehe . case rested . Any of the other bollox is just eerr , bollox .. |
| Posted by: MacNails 2004-12-15 2:50:39 PM |
| #31 Dar--thanks for that (105s). |
| Posted by: Mason 2004-12-15 2:37:14 PM |
| #30 I second Das Boot (director's cut). I would also kill to see a modern spec-fx remake of A Bridge Too Far (though Sean Connery was a perfect Urquhart), make it about six hours long. |
| Posted by: (lowercase) matt 2004-12-15 2:32:28 PM |
| #29 Hell no you didn't forget Full Metal Jacket! |
| Posted by: BH 2004-12-15 2:17:17 PM |
| #28 Full Metal Jacket was so close to greatness it hurts. Mathew Modine's narration was limp but seeing the battle of Hue was amazing. Add that to the first section of Apocolypse now and you've got an incredible Vietnam film. Still I like Kelly's Heros because its fun, and mostly accurate, and produced at the height of the hippy anti-war haze. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2004-12-15 2:11:16 PM |
| #27 "Cross of Iron" was great--the German movie "Stalingrad" is also a good one to rent (or buy) on DVD! |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-12-15 2:00:22 PM |
| #26 Hey, guys -- what about "All Quiet on the Western Front?" |
| Posted by: Infidel Bob 2004-12-15 1:57:21 PM |
| #25 "Cross of Iron" with James Coburn. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2004-12-15 1:57:19 PM |
| #24 Windtalkers did a disservice to the Navajos. It was too hollywood. It sucked. Das boot. What about Das Boot. As far as Band of Brothers, the fifth episode was by far the best. That is the one where Winters went to Paris. Breaking Point, where Spears takes over Easy Company was my second favorite. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2004-12-15 1:55:50 PM |
| #23 In In Harm's Way Peter Lawford plays a Congressman who resigns to enlist in the Navy. He figures it'll do his career good when the war's over, though naturally he doesn't intend to do any fighting, but instead spend the war as an admiral's PR flack. His plans get changed when the admiral sends him forward to spy on John Wayne. When I learned the details about Kerry's Swift Boat service, I wondered if it was something like that, or if that was unfair to Kerry. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2004-12-15 1:53:59 PM |
| #22 What about the Big Red one, 12 o-clock high, Flying Tigers, or the Battle of Britain? Lest we forget the classics. I also enjoyed Enemy at the Gates, a pretty good story of the Russian defense of Stalingrad. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-12-15 1:18:42 PM |
| #21 I love "The Light Horseman". Wonderful ending with the last successful cavalry charge in history. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2004-12-15 1:07:19 PM |
| #20 Platoon. Apocalypse Now. We need to be reminded that, as Sherman said, "War is Hell. There is no way to refine it." Not only is it hell, but it can be lunacy at the same time. As Lincoln said: "Each side believes that God is on it's side. We cannot both be right, and may both be wrong." |
| Posted by: Weird Al 2004-12-15 1:07:06 PM |
| #19 " Where is Red Dawn? " In the trash !! |
| Posted by: Bill Clinton 2004-12-15 12:59:34 PM |
| #18 Where is Red Dawn? |
| Posted by: Brett_the_Quarkian 2004-12-15 12:58:00 PM |
| #17 What about A Bridge Too Far? Another arrogant British military blunder leading to high casualties. Charge of the Light Brigade anyone? |
| Posted by: Rightwing 2004-12-15 12:46:36 PM |
| #16 I also forgot one of the best war films ever made: Pork Chop Hill |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-12-15 12:34:17 PM |
| #15 Go Tell the Spartans (1978) A great movie about Vietnam in 1964, before large numbers of American ground troops were committed. The Americans were still in an "advisory" and support role, although they were already fighting and dying. Burt Lancaster is at his best as the dead-ended but still professional Major Asa Barker. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-12-15 12:32:59 PM |
| #14 I found moments in 84 Charlie MoPic and The Thin Red Line that were superb. It seems every film wastes time on stereotypes and subplots that have only passing interest or value (duh, I'm no critic or expert on cine verite'), but there are moments in which you know that someone who was there got the point across to the director here and here. Those two movies contained such moments, IMHO. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-15 12:24:59 PM |
| #13 Lex, I think you mean "Enemy at the Gates." "Barbarians at the Gate" was about a hostile takeover in the '80s Right. I always mix up Khrushchev and Henry Kravis. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-12-15 12:09:24 PM |
| #12 What about "Bridge Over the River Kwai"? (Alec Guinness as the quintessential British military officer....) |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2004-12-15 12:06:54 PM |
| #11 AE3775--Thanks for mentioning "Master & Commander"--That is another excellent work! I completely forgot about that, and that reminds me of the wonderful A&E "Horatio Hornblower" series. Truly great works that deserve mention. Mason--Those 88s turned out to be 105mm guns that would likely have caused hundreds of casualties on Utah if Lt. Winters and Easy hadn't taken them out. An interesting note: According to the BoB book, that battle, which appears to take 5-10 minutes in the TV series, actually took nearly THREE HOURS. |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-12-15 12:04:17 PM |
| #10 The Dirty Dozen. Master and Commander |
| Posted by: Angash Elminelet3775 2004-12-15 11:55:28 AM |
| #9 Saving Private Ryan Masterpiece .......... |
| Posted by: tex 2004-12-15 11:53:31 AM |
| #8 FRAUD! It's missing Twelve O'Clock High. |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-12-15 11:50:25 AM |
| #7 Band of Brothers was the best war miniseries or movie I've ever seen. Lots of scenes stand out, but the toppling of those 88s in the 2nd? episode has stuck most. The series was accurate, focused on an ignored area (episode dedicated to the medic - Doc Roe). |
| Posted by: Mason 2004-12-15 11:46:13 AM |
| #6 I agree with you Dar (with the qualifier that I haven't seen every war movie) about BoB. I have the boxed set, but I still watch every time it's on The History Channel. (I also love the fact that Dick Winters endorsed GWB and recorded some phone messages for him.) Although it was pretty lame as a movie, "To Hell and Back" (about Audie Murphy) was great because of Murphy's amazing service. I also like "A Bridge Too Far." Finally, the LOTR movies are great movies about the war between good and evil and, indirectly, about the WoT. Lex, I think you mean "Enemy at the Gates." "Barbarians at the Gate" was about a hostile takeover in the '80s. |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-12-15 11:45:28 AM |
| #5 Dr. Strangelove Paths of Glory |
| Posted by: Roy Williams 2004-12-15 11:44:14 AM |
| #4 Barbarians at the Gate [Stalingrad] |
| Posted by: lex 2004-12-15 11:35:02 AM |
| #3 The Blue Max The Horse Soldiers Breaker Morant |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-12-15 11:33:12 AM |
| #2 I don't care if it's not technically a "movie"--"Band of Brothers" is the best damn production about men at war EVER. |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-12-15 11:25:46 AM |
| #1 Anything with the Duke. We need another Duke. |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2004-12-15 11:20:19 AM |